The dialog between Job and his counsel of friends ends with Bildad in chapter 25. With his brief reply to Job, the pattern of the book up to this point is broken; something different is coming. To wrap up the counsel of these three self-proclaimed wise men, Bildad offers nothing new, but rather a brief restatement concerning the greatness of God. In short, he reviews God’s strength and God’s righteousness. All this to caution Job that no man has the standing or the right to speak against God, or to question his ways. And in truth, I disagree with nothing in Bildad’s words concerning God or man’s position compared to him. Bildad offers a biblical representation of mankind’s sinfulness.
Then Job responds, with his lengthiest speech so far – spanning 6 chapters. We split this over two day’s readings. Job begins by, once again, calling out Bildad, Eliphaz and Zophar for their lack of compassion and unhelpful words. They were concerned with being right and forgot to show concern for Job. “Then, to show the poverty of Bildad’s argument, he spoke of the greatness of God to prove that he knew it, and even more perfectly than his friends.” (Morgan) This is what I love about Job, he may not understand why he has suffered. He finds unfair and wonders where God is in all of this. But he never turns against God; he questions him, but never denies him. He still proclaims God’s right and God’s greatness. In his description of God’s greatness, Job refers for the second time to Rahab and God’s defeat of Rahab. This is not the Rahab of Jericho, or even a person. Two possible explanations for Rahab arise; and I think the two are really related. The first is more of a linguistic view. The word “rahab” in Hebrew means “proud one”. Those who ignore or deny God are arrogant, proud ones, who he will destroy. But even more, Rahab references a serpent whom God defeated. This is the sea serpent, known as Tiamat in the ancient Babylonian creation account or Leviathan from the myths of Canaan. This serpent is usually considered evil and defeated by the Creator God. I always love to see kernels of biblical truth carried into pagan myths and religion. The next two chapters of Job’s reply display his upright character and love of truth, his understanding of God’s justice of the wicked, and the true nature of wisdom and man’s futile attempts to find it in wealth and material gain.
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I know, I’m slightly off the assigned readings again. But again, I can’t justify splitting Job’s response. Job begins with a common question of frustration. Why do wicked men prosper, and seem to enjoy life, and have such happy families? Why do they continue to see success and peace? Why is this allowed when they are the ones who ignore and deny God? How often have you had the same questions? How often has it seemed to us that the dishonest, uncaring, and ungodly are rewarded in this life? But then Job notes that their success is not theirs; it all belongs to and comes from God. And so Job still avoids the counsel and model of the wicked. Notes Job, does it really matter since in the end all their success in life is of no use to them? They lay in the ground just the righteous, just as the less fortunate. All the riches and plush living of this world ultimately matter none. He would rather be right with God, and know his righteousness, than be wealthy with the wicked. Eliphaz goes further into his accusation now. He displays Job as an evil and uncaring man who has deprived the needy, taken advantage of less powerful and even abused widows. This is not the picture of Job we were given in the first chapters. He was known as a generous, kind, devout person. But he does have some good counsel. “Submit to God and be at peace with him.” They all err in assuming Job’s misfortunes come directly from God, as some sort of punishment. But Job is not at peace and is struggling to accept this lot, to remain faithful, even, to God. Oh that we can learn from Job and remember to trust and follow God even in our darkest hours. Job’s response seems to go the other way. Perhaps he does push things a little far. For him, God seems distant. Job cannot find God; he cannot find an answer to his complaint and plea for justice. But he pushes even farther saying that it seems God is distant, uncaring, and unjust. He seems to allow the truly evil – thieves, murders, adulterers… - to go unthwarted and unpunished. He seems to tolerate suffering and poverty, the miserable plight of impoverished children. Job sounds like a Deist here, believing God has removed himself from his creation and merely watches what will come of it all. But then he comes back around, “He may let them [the wicked] rest in a feeling of security, but his eyes are on their ways.” He may seem distant and uncaring at times, he may seem separated from us and unresponsive. But God never leaves his chosen and faithful people; he is here with us and we will soon know his presence again. Now Bildad and Zohar both speak for their second time. Their responses to Job follow with Eliphaz. Job must be a wicked person. God must know something hidden and secret about Job that they do not. His current situation speaks against his claims of innocence and unfair treatment. They are not quite as direct as Eliphaz. But it seems none of these men really know Job. Maybe they now betray hidden jealousies? Whatever the explanation, they offer no comfort, no sympathy. Take note of their theology. Many today express the same approach – that the promises and curses of God are always to be understood as more immediate, in this life. That is why they answer Job as they do. The wicked will know punishment for their sins against God. That punishment will be seen in this life. Whatever successes (by human standards) they enjoy will be lost – in this lifetime as God’s punishment. What a view! That would mean that every devout person of God who experiences difficulties and losses, like Job, are really wicked. That would mean that every worldly successful person who finds little trouble or disaster in life must be righteous men favored by God (think of the millionaires, most powerful politicians, etc.). The flaw in this begins with misunderstanding the truth of God’s Word – his promises and his judgments are not all always carried out in this lifetime. His greatest promise, of salvation and life, are found in Heaven and after death. This is exactly the lesson of Job (or one of the main)! We know his calamity is not the result of a wicked and sinful heart, but comes for other reasons.
Pay attention also to Job’s response, in chapter 19. Verse 25 is supposed by some as a Messianic statement. “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.” It may be Messianic, although I’m not so convinced of that. But, Job does assert: 1) God is sovereign and will stand, at the end of time, over and above all the tragedies, all of the wicked, all of the darkness of this world. 2) When he is finally recognize by all of creation for the God he is, our Lord will also show himself to be our Redeemer. The faithful will be redeemed from scorn, from guilt and shame, from the hand of the wicked, and from evil. Job will be shown before his “friends” to be truly blameless and righteous. 3) In this last age, the eternal age of God’s ultimate and perfect reign, his promises and blessings to his faithful will be finally and fully realized. Job is a beacon of trust and hope! The tone and approach of Job’s friends take a turn in the words of Eliphaz. He accuses Job of arrogantly presuming to know more than they. He says Job must have some hidden, unconfessed and unrepentant sin to now experience all he has encountered. Surely Job must be a wicked man, in some way, to receive such deserved judgement from God. This is ancient logic. Those who experience tragedy must somehow deserve this punishment; they must have sinned greatly against God. Jesus encountered this same traditional wisdom. When he encountered the blind beggar, his disciples asked, “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” (John 9) Jesus said it was neither, but he was blind that the work of God may be seen. The same seems to be the case of Job, though his “friends” won’t realize that. Eliphaz believes Job taunts and challenges God. And, he appeals to the wise men of old, to tradition, to support his understanding of how things work and his emboldened attack on Job. How often do we find that our friends are little help in difficult times; well-meaning though they may be, their words provide no comfort?
That’s how Job responds. “What great friends you are!” He may well have used an axiom from our day, “With friends like you, who needs enemies?” He continues to mourn and profess the unfairness of his predicament. He complains against his friends, and against God. He insists he is innocent and righteous. He cries out in hopelessness, and who wouldn’t in his position? As a book, Job is certainly a study and an example of loss and tragedy. Most of us have identified with his story and his emotions at some point in our lives. But the end of his story is meant as an encouragement for us as well. I must admit, the reading plan did not make much sense for me, in the way it split the readings in Job. So yesterday I actually read through chap 10 and today I read through chapter 14. I just don’t understand stopping in the middle of Job’s replies. In chapters 9-10, Job again continued his insistence that he did not deserve such punishment and resumed his complaint against God. Now Zophar speaks up against Job, rebuking him for his complaint against God and insisting there must be a reason he encountered such calamity. Zophar says Job must have sinned against God and that he only a fool would address God as Job has. Job’s response actually seems very appropriate. In response to Zophar he says these friends are useless; they bring no comfort and are no wiser than he. They offer nothing to help and nothing he has not already thought of. I appreciate this lesson found throughout the story of Job – he continues to express to God his dismay and his complaint. In the face of all his pain, he teaches us that trouble comes to anyone and everyone, the righteous and evil alike. Even more, he asserts and demonstrates that it is not wrong to express our confusion, hurt and anger to God. Job understands that when we face such anguish, it is understandable to complain to God, and it is acceptable. When we hurt, we can take it to God, even when we feel angry at God for what has happened. He welcomes our words and wants us to express our feelings, and he is ready to listen. Just keep in mind, that He is still God and should be addressed with respect, and He has the right to respond to our accusation. Job will learn this later in his story. Bildad’s words are harsher than those of Eliphaz. He more directly chastises Job for speaking against God as he does. Showing that he does care for Job, though, he mixes this with what are meant to be words of comfort by saying that if Job responds properly to God, if he repents of whatever sin brought this on and resumes a righteous life, then God will surely bless him and return all that was lost. Job gives an excellent understanding and description of God’s power. He recognizes God as Almighty and sovereign. He realizes even as he asserts his innocence, that no one is completely sinless and admits that there may be some fault in him. Yet he feels there is no justification for this great punishment and longs for a way to plead his case before God. He wants a way that he can lodge his complaint and plead his case so that his torment will let up and his friends can realize he is truly innocent. Job even wishes for a mediator to stand on his behalf before God. Job’s situation is much like all of us. Though we think ourselves innocent and most are generally good, we are not completely blameless before God. Though we feel the trials we face are at times unfair, we also have to realize that we are not completely innocent. We might at times wish we had someone to plead for us before God and help bring an end to suffering. WE DO HAVE A MEDIATOR! Jesus, ultimately, will and does stand in our stead before God. We will be shown mercy because of His righteousness. And his testimony, His righteousness applied to us, will grant us acquittal before God’s holy judgment seat. Why Job? It seems odd to move from Genesis, after only the first 11 chapters, to the book of Job. Why would we move into Job in our attempt to read the Bible in chronological order - in order in which the events most likely occurred? The book of Job was very likely written much later than the period of the Genesis stories. But, most scholars agree that the life and events of the person Job would have occurred around the time of the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob). The setting and description of the societal structure of Job’s time most resemble that of the patriarchal period. The language of the story also indicates a much earlier origin, especially the name of God, or lack of the name Yahweh. We find Job before Psalms in our Bible because it is considered a form of wisdom literature, as arethe Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes. The story and themes of Job find parallels in other Ancient Near Eastern writings which were written as far back as 2,000 years before Christ. Some of these likely began as oral accounts of historical events or epic tales which date much earlier than that. It really is hard to say whether Job was an actual person or acharacter of fiction. Personally, I don’t know if it matters much which way you lean on this question. The message and themes of Job are the real significance. Job addresses the questions of God’s authority and control, how God works in the world, and why people suffer (especially good people). His story affirms that God is sovereign, absolutely in control of all of creation, including Satan himself. In his trials and wrestling with justice and sorrow, Job provides a model and an encouragement to stay faithful and true to God in all things. His account also dispels the false idea that only the righteous will find blessing and prosperity (or in reverse, those who have success must have pleased the gods), and those who suffer or experience great loss must have sinned or angered the gods. The story opens with this scene of a divine court – God meets with the spiritual beings. In this gathering, Satan appears. We see right away that although Satan has been given room and freedom to roam to and fro about the earth, he is not free to do whatever he wants. God limits his actions; He remains in control of Satan even as he allows him to wreak havoc on certain people, at certain times and in certain ways. As Job loses everything, his friends come to try and console him. You may have heard of the Jewish “shiva” (sitting in mourning following the death of a family member). Job’s friends practice this in sitting with him in the ashes for seven days and nights. Then Job cries in his pain that he wishes he had never been born. Eliphas replies with both encouragement and foolish, unhelpful words. He encourages Job to stop the self-pity and realize that he needs to honor God in both plenty and in his great loss. He also gives the somewhat false hope that all will be restored. But then he hints that Job must have sinned somehow to deserve all this. Ten months in a boat with a whole lot of animals. I can’t imagine how difficult that was. It must have been noisy, smelly, dirty…And a great relief for Noah, Ham, Shem, Japheth and their wives. God provided for their safety and preserved them when he destroyed all else. What a relief to know that he will not destroy the earth again, at least not by flood. These events teach us how greatly our sins anger and offend God. They also teach us that God is patient and forgiving, willing to endure all that we do against Him, in order to complete his plans and restore his creation. Every time you see a rainbow, remember the promise God has made and the covenant with his creation, which he renewed with Noah. Ham wronged his father, and for that he was cursed; his descendents were cursed to serve their cousins, sons of Shem. What exactly was Ham’s wrongdoing? What does it mean that he uncovered Noah? I have heard a few explanations, even some wild ones. But the one that makes the most sense came from a seminary professor. Ham’s offense was not indecently exposing his father who was in a vulnerable state. Taking his cloak had little to do with nakedness; it was bold theft. The ancients carried valuables, deeds, etc. in their cloaks – sewn into the hem. Ham was not simply mocking Noah, he attempted to steal his (and his brothers’) inheritance (sound like one of Jesus’ parables?). To me, this understanding makes more sense of the situation and the curse (and maybe even Joseph’s coat generations later). From Shem come the people of Israel; from Ham come the Canaanites, and all other enemies of Israel in the Old Testament. It would be hundreds of years before Noah’s curse reaches its height and Israel subdues Canaan, but it begins here. |
AuthorDonovan Campbell, pastor of Greenville Presbyterian Church in Donalds, SC. Archives
June 2020
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